Sugary drinks could be causing cancer tumours to grow, new research finds

We know that sugary drinks aren’t really good for our health (or our waistlines). But new research has revealed the fizzy drinks could exacerbate the growth of bowel cancer tumours.

The study, from Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and published in the journal Science, found that specially bred mice developed larger tumours when they consumed the equivalent of one can of soft drink per day.

Scientists studied mice that were genetically engineered to develop colon tumours. They gave one group a dose of high-fructose corn syrup (HCFS), a common sweetener in the US, that was equivalent to one can of fizzy drink every day for eight weeks. The other group did not receive any added sugars.

When researchers compared the size of the tumours in both groups, they found the ones that were fed HFCS had larger tumours than the ones who did not.

“We were not able to show that giving high-fructose syrup causes new tumours, because these mice develop tumours even on normal diets free of added sugar,” explained the study’s lead author Dr Marcus Goncalves.

“But when you give them this additional sugar, the tumours grow much bigger.”

Though more research is needed to demonstrate whether HFCS promotes colon tumour growth in humans, study authors believe the findings could be used to advise about future cancer treatment or prevention.

They say their results suggest that people with colon cancer or those at high risk of developing it should avoid sugary drinks.

Though the effect of table sugars, wasn’t measured in the experiment, researchers believe they are likely to produce a similar effect.